Hackskeptic’s 500 Greatest Songs: Freda Payne – Band Of Gold

193 – Freda Payne – Band Of Gold (1970)
Written by Edythe Wayne and Ron Dunbar
Produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier
Label – Invictus

Killer hooks in popular music are few and far between, and given that Freda Payne was extremely reluctant to record “Band Of Gold”, one wonders what she originally missed. According to legend, her view was that the song’s content was better suited to a teenager or young woman. It’s interesting that the lyrical content is much more complex than on first listen. Possible interpretations include a recently married woman whose husband is incapable of loving her,with controversial allusions to the husband either being impotent or gay. Another view is that the young couple rush into marriage and the relationship crashes on the wedding night, when the woman rejects her groom’s advance (“And the night I turned you away”.) Whichever way you view it, “Band Of Gold” is still an outstanding song.

A great song this one. First heard it on The Afghan Whigs’ Uptown Avondale EP, actually. Given how good it is, I’m surprised to learn she was reluctant to record it (Diana Ross & The Supremes had turned it down, too!).